Drought: Groundwater studies can begin under Mendocino County Water Agency

A local entity recently stepped up to monitor groundwater in the Ukiah Valley to preserve the valley's access to state grant funding for drought relief, and urges local well owners to volunteer to have their groundwater levels monitored.

A state Department of Water Resources representative told the Mendocino County emergency drought ad-hoc committee last week that Ukiah Valley could lose out on state funding if an entity couldn't be found to do the monitoring, which is required as part of the California Statewide Groundwater Elevation Monitoring program.

According to a Wednesday announcement from the Mendocino County Resource Conservation District, the Mendocino County Water Agency applied to be the approved monitoring entity for Anderson Valley, Round Valley, Sanel Valley and the town of Mendocino, but not for the Ukiah Valley.

"The county was aware of the gap in information and joined forces with the conservation district to provide the data collection," conservation district Executive Director Janet Olave said in the prepared statement. "What we need now is for private well owners to come forward. The process is simple and requires no effort on the part of the well owner. It is an easy way to contribute a huge public service."

The monitoring is a prerequisite for state funding for water project, which, according to Olave, "may include drought relief funding."

The monitoring program needs the cooperation of private well owners to allow local entities to conduct semi-annual visits to monitor groundwater elevation, according to the conservation district. The program's goal is to gage seasonal and long-term trends in groundwater levels within each of the state's monitored basins. The data will be made available to the public in a statewide database, conservation district stated.

The Department of Water Resources ranked California's 515 groundwater basins and subbasins as very low, low, medium and high priorities. The state is focusing on high- and medium-priority basins for state water grants or loans.

The Ukiah Valley was identified as Mendocino County's only medium-priority basin.

Out of the state's 515 groundwater basins, 126 are ranked medium- and high-priority. In the North Coast hydraulic region, there are no high-priority basins and eight ranked medium priority, including the Ukiah Valley.

To have the groundwater at your well evaluated, call Janet Olave at 462-3664, or email her at janet.olave@mcrcd.org

Tiffany Revelle can be reached at udjtr@ukiahdj.com, on Twitter @TiffanyRevelle or at 468-3523.